


Johanna's Nightmare

by Nach0



Category: Hilda (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Nightmares, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Stone Forest happened but Hilda never got switched, based of a comic, just because it doesn't work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29175195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nach0/pseuds/Nach0
Summary: After the events of Stone Forest, Johanna has a nightmare.
Relationships: Hilda & Johanna | Hilda's Mum
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Johanna's Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Comic this was based off!](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/753996) by hildapoggers. 



A pounding headache was what brought Johanna into consciousness, but the cold of a stone floor woke her up. Sitting while holding her head, she looked around to try and figure out where she was. She took in the giant trees that reached to the sky, the way they blocked out all the light, and something seemed familiar to her. Before she could try and figure it out, her gaze landed on Hilda, body twisted at odd angles, eerily still.

“HILDA!” Johanna cried out, running over and reaching a hand towards the unmoving body of her daughter. As Hilda started to get up she breathed a sigh of relief, trying to ignore the way her bones twisted and turned before setting back in place.

“Oh thank goodness you’re ok!” Her relief was short lived as Hilda turned, eyes glowing, with a smile wider than she had seen before. A sense of _wrong_ was growing stronger but she pushed it down.

“What’s wrong mum? Scared?” Hilda’s voice came out echoing and distorted and all of Johanna’s instincts were screaming at her to _run_ , but this was her _daughter_ , if something was wrong, then she was going to try and help.

“N-No, of course not sweetie, I-” Johanna tried not to let her fear show but failed as she stammered. Hilda started glowing even brighter, and her smile got wider and sharper.

“Or should I even call you that? You couldn’t even protect me. You’re not my Mum. You’re a failure.” Johanna took a step backwards as Hilda stared her down, the words hurting if they were physical attacks. She barely registered the tears on her face as she focused on her daughter.

“Why would anyone want a mum like you? You let me die. You couldn’t keep me safe.” Johanna took a step back, then another, until she her back was against one of the strange trees. Her eyes still never left the body of her daughter, who was floating slightly now, glowing so bright she had to squint.

“ _I hate you. **’Mum.’**_ ” 

Johanna sunk to the floor, her sobs shaking her body so much she couldn’t stand. Her hiccups echoed through the forest

“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I’m sorry _I’msorryimsorry._ ” Johanna watched through teary eyes as a troll came out from the forest and took Hilda by the hand. Johanna wanted to shout at it, try and get it away from Hilda, but it was like she was paralysed, only able to keep sobbing.

“This is my _new_ mum. You’re too _weak_ to be my mum. How does that one saying go? The one about not learning from your history?" Hilda shrugged and walked away. As they were leaving, a two headed troll came bursting out from the side of a mountain, roaring angrily, sending rubble flying everywhere. Hilda turned and smiled at Johanna right before getting crushed by a giant boulder.

Johanna shot up with a scream dying on her tongue as she realised where she was. She brought her hand up to rub at her eyes, only to find it coming away wet. As she slowly sunk back into her bed, she tried to fall back asleep, only to be assaulted with images of Hilda getting hurt, leaving, _dying-_

She decided that the best thing to do would be to check on Hilda. Maybe seeing her safe in bed would let Johanna get some rest. And if not... there were always commissions to work on.

As she slowly crept to Hilda’s room, her racing thoughts and heart calmed slightly. 

_’Hilda’s probably fine, you just had a nightmare. No need to wake her, just check quickly and go back to bed.’_ Still, Johanna couldn’t help but worry. If going on one adventure had her this shaken up, how did Hilda cope?

_’Not very well apparently,’_ her brain supplied unhelpfully as a scream rang out from Hilda’s room. She raced the rest of the way to find Hilda shaking and sobbing in bed. Johanna quickly shook her awake and her breathing slowly levelled as she woke up.

“...Mum?” Hilda groaned. Johanna just nodded and pulled her into a hug, heart breaking as she felt Hilda sobbing into her jacket. They stayed like this for a while, barely noticing as Alfur and Tontu joined the hug as well. Eventually, Hilda pulled away and looked up at her mum through watery eyes.

“Mum?” she started, voice shaky. Johanna just hummed as a go ahead. “Promise me you’ll never replace me with a troll?”

Johanna could have laughed at the irony if the situation wasn’t so serious. Instead, she pulled Hilda closer and hugged her tight.

“I promise.”

They must have fallen asleep at some point, as when the next opened their eyes, the sun was rising from beneath the horizon. Taking one look at her daughter, Johanna phoned in the school to let them know Hilda would be taking the day. They both deserved it.

~~<3~~

During the night, two teenage figures watched from the shadows as mother and daughter hugged, feeling a shred of guilt.

“Let’s not tell the girls about tonight,” the figure with pigtails suggested. The other, one with long hair not tied back, nodded.

“But only because they like funnier nightmares. No other reason,” the second agreed. In a flash of green, they both disappeared, heading back to report a night of simple nightmares, ones of bugs and bodily horror, silently agreeing to never speak of that night again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it! My tumblr is @ultimate-kaisa-simp if you want to see more of my Hilda thoughts, headcannons, art or fics!


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